Miller 1

Logan Experience a new perspective by attending Miller

Self- another religious service other than your Directed

own and write about the encounter.
September 22, 2016

Religion Through Observation and Practice

Throughout history, their have been many influential factors such as powerful leaders,

advancement in technology, and the development of agriculture. Yet, there is one certain aspect

that continuously occurs in every society; religion. People all over the world have witnessed the

influence of religion, whether it be in the way we run our government or how we live our lives.

However, the impact of faith in someone's life is predominantly due to his or her experience. And

through ones encounter, we are able to help spread the knowledge and understanding about the

faith. Experiencing different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, specifically religious, helps us

gain new and further insight.

Encountering a variety of beliefs helps us gain knowledge and leads us to a better

understanding of that particular religion. For example, the character Pi, in The Life of Pi, gains

knowledge of three different faiths, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, all unfamiliar and

unknown to him. However, he ends up in a very problematic situation where the priest, pundit,

and imam all find him at the same time, discovering the truth. After this unearthing, the three

wise men stared at each other [in] disbelief, all trying to reclaim Pi for their own (Martel, 66).

This proves how beneficial understanding can lead someone to make a life changing decision,

such as converting religions, thus impacting their daily way of life. It also shows how influential

1
 Miller 2

religion can be, by shaping people and the way they respond or react to specific situations or

circumstances. Therefore, the experience of different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives help us

gain new and further insight, through the gaining of knowledge and understanding of other

religions.

Another reason why experiencing different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, help us gain

new and further insight, is because through our experiences we gain a mutual respect for the

religion. For instance, last weekend Kendall Miller and I experienced something not many

people get to say theyve participated in, attending a Catholic service at church and a Jewish

service at the temple, all in one evening. I led Kendall through mass at my local parish St.

Austins Catholic Church in the afternoon, and then was led by Kendall through an eminent

Jewish celebration, Rosh Hashanah, at Beth Israel. Through the experience, we both found it

interesting to see the similarities between Judaism and Catholicism which then led us to

compare how it differed [through] prayer (Miller). As Kendall stated, both of our experiences

led to a more prominent respect for the Catholic and Jewish faith. Although we didnt necessarily

understand particular elements of the others faith, it was truly the experience that caused the

automatic connection not only between the two faiths but between each other. The outcome of

our experience resulted in not only a closer relationship between the two of us but the both of us

having a conjoint esteem for the two religions, as well as in our faith communities. All in all,

through experience we were able to dig deeper into not only our own faiths but each others as

well. This is why experiencing different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, help us gain new and

further insight.

2
 Miller 3

Lastly, experiencing different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, help us gain new and

further insight because it provides us with a better appreciation for our own religion and or

practice. After going to a Jewish service, I realized what I had thought would occur, I thoroughly

enjoy Catholic service more due to their congregational participation and personalized aspects of

mass. For example, the entire meaning behind the celebration of Communion at mass expresses

the spiritual union of the communicants, which symbolizes unity and togetherness as a whole

community (Paul II, 16). Another area where I feel that mass is more personalized is that during

Rosh Hashanah, the community used and followed accordingly to a specific book, with special

texts and readings. However, in the Catholic church, I feel as though everything is more personal

with most prayers or songs being recited by memory and we take the time to acknowledge our

wrongdoings and by being able to connect spiritually with God through a more human form,

Christ through the Eucharist. This is why experiencing different cultures, beliefs, and

perspectives, help us gain new and further insight.

Experiencing different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, helps us gain new and further

insight for three main reasons. By gaining knowledge of the subject which then provides us with

a more in-depth understanding. As well as experiencing the religion leading us to have more of a

respect for that particular faith. Lastly, granting us with more of an appreciation for our own

religion, practices, or way of life. All in all, the mixing of cultures, heritage, and people, pilot us

to become more culturally aware of our surroundings, not only in our own lives but in those of

who we congregate with as well. This is proven in multiple ways, such as through a fictional

character named Pi, a real-life student like Kendall Miller, and through ourselves and how we

3
 Miller 4

reflect upon the experience. All these things show how experiencing different cultures, beliefs,

and perspectives, specifically religious, helps us gain new and further insight.

4
 Works Cited

Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001.

Miller, Kendall. Personal Interview. 2 Oct. 2016.

Paul II, Pope John. Catechism of the Catholic Church- Grace and justification. 1992. Catechism

nnnnnof the Catholic Church. 15 Sep. 2016

nnnnn<http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a2.htm>